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6 December 1888 — Ca’ Capello, Venice | |
Thursday. 6th December [1888]. Rather better. Got up at 7.30. Henry & I had morning cup of tea in the studio before dressing & talked about the life of Lord Stratford de Redcliffe. He said it gave you no idea of the real man & he was very glad he had not acceded to Miss Canning’s demand that he should write it. Henry says that lord Stratford took all the credit to himself of others’ ideas & that he was very jealous of disposition. He called Henry in his Memoirs written when he was 90 merely his own agent, says that he (Lord S) conceived the idea of digging at Nimroud from having read Rich’s book & supplied all the necessary money. Henry doubts that Lord S. ever read Rich’s book or even thought of Nimroud & as to the money part Henry has the documents to prove that Lord Stratford gave £60 to add to £60 of Henry’s own. Then the discovery of the passage in the Koran about the “renegades” was not Lord Stratford’s but Mr Alison who could read the Koran while Lord S. could not. He said that far from being liked by the Turks they hated him & that Reschid P. used to say to Henry—for goodness sake keep the Ambr away. I will do what he wants if he will give time & not hamper me with his violence. Lord S. led his wife a dreadful life & she was terrified of him being very nervous & the only one who could manage him was his eldest daughter. I begged Henry to note down all these things so that history might not be thus distorted. He said it was no use & would only be taken for illnature. Nela & I painted till 12– Accts till lunch. Afterwards dropped the girls at the lawn tennis ground & went with Henry to see Felici’s studio. To Rietti’s shop & to Css Thun to see a portrait of Longhi’s a Css Dolfin wh her brother wants to sell. It is full length: a lady in a yellow dress putting on red gloves & a red feather in her head. I left Henry at the Stabto & went to pay some visits. Found Css Marina Persico at home & had a pleasant talk. She tells me Css Mocenigo of St Stae’s pretty girl Olga has got cancer in the nose which is pronounced hopeless. Poor child—the prettiest of all the sisters & just coming out! Bss Mayneri was also at home & less interesting. Short, fat & fair she wore a hideous pink tea gown but she was kind & nice. I came home to tea. The Andrian girl came to tea, Mrs Eden & Olga Mocenigo (Windischgrätz), Maria Cozzi & Mr Marzials. Carry Eden starts for England on Saturday. Mr Eden remains behind. Kept Marzials to dinner. He says he his about to sell his new Broadwood piano & I offered to buy it. I am to go to see it tomorrow morning. Henry & the girls went to Mrs Bronsons in the eveng. I went to bed. Regina had a girl born in this house last night. All’s well. She was working at 6 & the child was born at 1. | |
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